If you are a family-owned septic or plumbing business, you’ve probably built your business the old-fashioned way – through reputation, quality work and word-of-mouth referrals. Let’s say you’ve business in business 20 plus years and you’re asking yourself:
Why Do I Even Need a Website? My Business Is Already Doing Fine.
You know, you’re probably right. You’ve proven that you don’t need a website to build a great business (you already have a great business). But here is something to consider: the world around us is changing – and those changes can affect you grow (or don’t grow) in the years ahead. Here’s a couple of things that I wished more family-own septic tank business would consider as it relates to their website and online presence:
AI Is Changing the Way Customers Find Companies Online
Artificial Intelligence tools like ChatGBT and Google Gemini now influence how people search for services online. These tools “read” the internet to gather information and then summarize it to make recommendations based on what they find.
For example, AI tools can “read” websites, public business profiles (such as the Better Business Bureau, your Facebook page, Angies List, public forums like Reddit, etc.) and can start to understand information about your company as well as other companies in your same industry. For example:
In this example, as you can see, Google Gemini (Google’s AI tool) provided me a summary of septic tank companies in Tuscaloosa, AL that it “thinks” I should know about with links to their website as well as guidance about how to find more information on the subject.
What this means is that if your septic or plumbing business does not have a website or substantial online presence in general, or if the website you have has not been updated in years, then there is limited information for AI tools to grasp and use. And that means is fewer chances for your business to show up when customers ask questions like:
- “Septic tank company near Tuscaloosa Alabama”
- “Who’s the best septic company near me…”
- “What does septic tank maintenance cost in [your city]?”
Without online content, AI tools can’t recommend you. And that means your competitors (who may not even be as good as you) could get those calls instead.
Don’t even take my word for it. Keep this page open but go over to a difference browser window on your computer and start typing in words and phrases that you think your customers would probably use to find a septic company and see what comes up.
The Younger Generation Expects Businesses to Have a Website
Your loyal customers today may not care whether or not you have a website. But what about the younger generation who is coming of age? For example, Millennials and even Gen Z homeowners who will need septic service in the future.
They’ve grown up in a “digital-first” world. And for many of them, a professional-looking website equals a professional company. Consider this:
Is that fair? Probably not. You can definitely have a great business without a website, but as the saying goes “perception is reality”. And I think for the younger generation that a dated or missing website can create doubt in their minds when it comes to a business’s credibility and professionalism. For example, if you don’t have a website I could imagine they could start thinking:
- “Are they really in business…I can’t find their website.”
- “Can I trust them with a big job…their website looks like it was from 15 years ago.”
I had a client recently that wanted us to create a website for his business for this exact reason…
He was working in a neighborhood one day and a homeowner saw this work truck and walked up to him to ask for a business card and “chit-chat” with him, and went on to say that they tried to look his business up online but they could’t find anything about him and said they noticed he didn’t have a website (at the time he didn’t have one) and they said they just wanted to make sure he was a “legitimate company”.
He was flabbergasted because he had been in business for a very long time. Had lots of loyal customers. Did great work. But when that happened the “light bulb” went off and he realized that he needed a website to make sure that customers could perceive that he was as legitimate as he actually was in real life.
And let’s face it, your loyal customers aren’t getting any younger. And the next generation that’s coming up behind them will soon one-day be your new customers. And they will probably have a different set of expectations about how they evaluate businesses. Check this out:
If you have built your septic tank business on reputation alone, I congratulate you. You’ve passed the test of time that many companies will never be able to do.
But, the same way of thinking that you got you this far may not be as effective to carry your business into the future.
A professional website doesn’t just make you look good, it also help you stay relevant in a changing world, reach the next generation of customers, and make sure search engines and AI tools can point people your way.
If you are a family-owned septic company and you’ve been “putting off” a website, now may be the time to reconsider. Even a simple, professional website can set you apart and prepare you for the next generation of customers.
So that the next 20 years can be as successful as the last 20 years.
If you need help in this area, we would be more than happy to discuss it with you and help you. Please contact us to get in touch.